Pray the Christmas Novena with St. Jude

I encourage you to send your petitions to be delivered to altar of St. Jude at the National Shrine during the Christmas Novena of Masses. We will remember your special intentions during these nine Masses and offer them for St. Jude’s intercession. If you have a friend who would like to celebrate the Christmas Novena of Masses, please forward this message to spread the hope and blessings of the devotion to St. Jude. May God bless you this holy day and always. Merry Christmas! DAY 1 — Tuesday, December 25th Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior as we begin the first of nine days of the Christmas Novena of Masses. St. Jude listens to our prayers and offers new hope when we become weary. Intention to St. Jude St. Jude, I enter the Christmas Novena of Masses seeking your intercession. May my daily prayers bring hope, healing, and answers for my special intentions. Prayer to St. Jude Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope. Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. DAY 2 — Wednesday, December 26th On this second day of the Christmas Novena of Masses, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family as we come together in prayer with a special intention to St. Jude. Intention to St. Jude St. Jude, friend of the Holy Family, watch over the Church. Grant all of its daughters and sons the blessings of faith, hope, and charity. May the love of the Holy Family be with us always. Prayer to St. Jude Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope. Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. DAY 3 — Thursday, December 27th On this third day of the Christmas Novena of Masses, we offer our intentions to St. Jude. Intention to St. Jude St. Jude, I pray that those who face family struggles may know the comfort of God and the support of the Holy Family. Prayer to St. Jude Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope. Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. DAY 4 — Friday, December 28th Today we begin the fourth day of the Christmas Novena of Masses with prayer. Intention to St. Jude St. Jude, I pray that the sick may receive the care and comfort they need. May they experience your healing touch and may those who care for them be filled with your love. Prayer to St. Jude Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope. Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. DAY 5 — Saturday, December 29th Today, as we begin the fifth day of the Christmas Novena of Masses, we remember all those for whom we have promised to pray. Intention to St. Jude St. Jude, pray for those who come to you in faith. Intercede on our behalf as we place our deepest needs in your hands. Prayer to St. Jude Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope. Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. DAY 6 — Sunday, December 30th On this sixth day of the Christmas Novena of Masses, we offer our prayers together. Today we pray for all those who feel alone this Christmas. Intention to St. Jude St. Jude, I pray that all those who feel alone and in need may know the saving presence of God and the support of family and friends. With you as our ally, we are truly never alone. Prayer to St. Jude Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope. Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. DAY 7 — Monday, December 31st On this New Year’s Eve we reflect on the blessings of the past year as we begin the seventh day of the Christmas Novena of Masses. Intention to St. Jude St. Jude, as this year draws to a close, we come to God in thanksgiving. We thank Him for the gift of the past year, and for all that we were able to accomplish during it. We entrust to Him our hope for a new year full of blessings. Prayer to St. Jude Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope. Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. DAY 8 — Tuesday, January 1st Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, as we begin the eighth day of the Christmas Novena of Masses to St. Jude. Intention to St. Jude St. Jude, you who loved Mary and cared for her after her Son’s death, bless my heart with true love and deep devotion to the Blessed Mother during this month of January. Prayer to St. Jude Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope. Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. DAY 9 — Wednesday, January 2nd Today we begin the ninth and final day of the Christmas Novena of Masses with a special intention and prayer to St. Jude. We are so grateful for this time to offer our petitions to our powerful patron. Intention to St. Jude St. Jude, you are always with me in my faith journey. May your path of hope be mine in the new year ahead. On this final day of the Christmas Novena of Masses, give me the strength to be patient as I grow in faith and the courage to follow Christ wherever He leads. Prayer to St. Jude Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope. Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.

Christmas Prayer #5

God of love, Father of all, 

the darkness that covered the earth 
has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. 
Make us a people of this light. 
Make us faithful to your Word, 
that we may bring your life to the waiting world. 
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Christmas Prayer #4

Lord God, we praise you for creating man, 

and still more for restoring him in Christ. 
Your Son shared our weakness; 
may we share his glory, 
for he lives and reigns with you 
and the Holy Spirit, 
one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Christmas Prayer #3

Lord, in this holy season of prayer, song and laughter, 

we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us: 
for shining star and angel's song, 
for infant's cry in lowly manger. 
We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child. 
We behold his glory, 
and are bathed in its radiance. 

Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, 
the incomprehensible comprehended, 
the poetry made hard fact, 
the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder. 
We kneel before you shepherds, 
innkeepers, wisemen. 
Help us to rise bigger than we are. 

Amen.

Christmas Prayer #2

Lord our God,
the heavens are the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars you made;
the earth and the sea, 
and every living creature came into being by your word. 
And all of us, too.
May this tree bring cheer to this house
though Jesus Christ your good and holy Son,
who brings life and beauty to us and to our world.
Lighting this tree, we hope in his promise.

Amen.

Christmas Prayer #1

Moonless darkness stands between.
Past, the Past, no more be seen!
But the Bethlehem star may lead me
To the sight of Him Who freed me
From the self that I have been.
Make me pure, Lord: Thou art Holy;
Make me meek, Lord: Thou wert lowly;
Now beginning, and always,
Now begin, on Christmas day.

(By Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1844-1889.)

A Christmas Day Prayer

Praise to You, Lord God!

You have become one of us.
You have become a human being, 
while still retaining all your power and holiness as God!

You, O Lord, made the journey of the unborn child. 
By being an embryo, a fetus, and a newborn, 
you joined all unborn and newborn children to you!

From the beginning of history, O Lord, 
You were the Creator of every human life. 
Now, with Christmas, 
You join Yourself in an unthinkable way with the life You created.

Let this Christmas, O God, 
fill all of us with awe and wonder 
at how close human life is to You. 
Cleanse the world of all that tarnishes 
and rejects this gift. 
Purify our hearts of all that fears this gift.

Let our Christmas joy be the joy of welcoming every human life! 

Amen!

Merry Christmas

Have a blessed and happy Christmas and a Joyous New year from daily Catholic Devotions.

Christmas Manger Prayer

Christmas Manger Prayer

O God,
whose mighty Son was born in Bethlehem
those days long ago,
lead us to that same poor place,
where Mary laid her tiny Child.
And as we look on in wonder and praise,
make us welcome him in all new life,
see him in the poor,
and care for his handiwork
the earth, the sky and the sea.
O God, bless us again in your great love.
We pray for this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A Christmas Creed

I believe in Jesus Christ and in the beauty of the gospel begun in Bethlehem.

I believe in the one whose spirit glorified a little town; and whose spirit still brings music to persons all over the world, in towns both large and small.

I believe in the one for whom the crowded inn could find no room, and I confess that my heart still sometimes wants to exclude Christ from my life today.

I believe in the one who the rulers of the earth ignored and the proud could never understand; whose life was among common people, whose welcome came from persons of hungry hearts.

I believe in the one who proclaimed the love of God to be invincible:

I believe in the one whose cradle was a mother's arms, whose modest home in Nazareth had love for its only wealth, who looked at persons and made them see what God's love saw in them, who by love brought sinners back to purity, and lifted human weakness up to meet the strength of God.

I confess my ever-lasting need of God: The need of forgiveness for our selfishness and greed, the need of new life for empty souls, the need of love for hearts grown cold.

I believe in God who gives us the best of himself.

I believe in Jesus, the son of the living

God, born in Bethlehem this night, for me and for the world.

A CHRISTMAS TIME PRAYER FOR COUNTRY LIVING

Lord Jesus Christ, when, 
on a winter's night I look up through the clear air at the stars, 
I can be very close to You 
and to Your native Bethlehem. 
It was at night that You first came to this earth. 
It was under the same stars that now gleam in this night sky 
that Mary first held You in her arms. 
It was by the faint light of these stars 
still shining tonight that the shepherds found their way to the stable, 
and discovered You, 
as the angels had said they would, 
lying in a manger. 
Dear Christ, 
it is especially at Christmas time 
that I see and understand how close You are 
to those who live on the land. 
We have so many reminders of You! 
The stars and moon at night and the sun by day,
the same stars under which You were born; 
the same moon that shone that night on Bethlehem; 
the same sun that brightened Your first days on earth. 
The stable, and the farm animals 
that shared their quarters and their warmth with You, their creator. 
The sheep and the shepherds that came to adore You, 
rough men, but good, truthful, honest, and sincere. 
O Jesus, Son of the everlasting God, 
You are so wonderfully made one of us at Christmas time! 
You are our God, 
but You are our Brother, too. 
You are our King, 
but You come as a helpless little baby, 
longing for our love. 
Help us today and always to see You 
in all those with whom we come in contact. 
Let us never forget Your own instruction, 
that whatever we do for the least of those around us, 
we do for You. 
Help us always to serve You in the generous, 
selfless spirit of this season, 
and we shall then be real Christians, 
more and more like You, other Christs.

Amen.

CHRISTMAS ANTICIPATION PRAYER

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God was born 
of the most pure Virgin Mary, 
at midnight, 
in Bethlehem, 
in the piercing cold. 
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, 
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,

[State your intention(s) here...]

through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, 
and of His blessed Mother.

Amen.

(Beginning on St. Andrew the Apostle's feast day, November 30th, the following prayer 
is traditionally prayed 15 times a day until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer 
that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare 
ourselves spiritually for His coming.)

Children Pray: Advent and Christmas

At the beginning of Advent 

How dark outside!
but see -- a star's in the sky;
Mary and Joseph are passing by.
So let's light a candle to welcome them
as they go on their way to Bethlehem.
We'll light a candle in church each day,
We'll light one candle each week and pray.
We'll light a candle at home each day,
We'll light a candle each week and pray.

Prayer while lighting the Advent candle:
a family prayer for every day of Advent

O God,
as light comes from this candle,
may the blessing of Jesus Christ come to us,
warming our hearts and
brightening our way.
May Christ our Savior bring life
into the darkness of this world,
and to us, as we wait for his coming.

Prayer For The Blessing Of The Christmas Tree For Advent

Holy God, we celebrate the birth of your Son with great joy.

He rescued us from the darkness of sin by making the tree of the cross the means of our salvation.

May the splendor of this tree remind us of the life-giving cross of Christ, that we may always rejoice in the new life that shines in our hearts. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Light the Christmas tree. Sing Christmas hymns and carols. Keep the feast. Christ is born

Advent Prayer Before Dinner

All-powerful God, increase our will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome when he comes to call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Advent Family Prayer Weekly Devotion

The following ceremonies are meant for every day during the weeks of Advent, beginning with the first Sunday. Dinner and bedtime are made even more special with this ritual. The family says the prayer as the candles on the Advent wreath are lighted.

The First Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father in heaven,
our hearts desire the warmth of your love, and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.

The Second Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father in heaven,
the day draws near when the glory of your Son will make radiant the night of the waiting world.
May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek him.
May the darkness not blind us to the vision of wisdom which fills the minds of those who find him.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.

The Third Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior’s coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Fourth Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father, all-powerful God,
your eternal Word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces his glory, and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his coming.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A Daily Devotion For Advent

Your light will come, O Jerusalem. the Lard will dawn on you in radiant beauty. We shall see the glory of the Lord, splendor of our God. The sign of the cross shall appear in the heavens, when our lord shall come to judge the world.

Prayer After Breakfast During Christmas Season

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will, alleluia! The Lord has reigned, and He is clothed with beauty. Almighty God, the Savior of the world, who hast nourished us with heavenly food, we give Thee thanks for the gift of this bodily refreshment which we have received from Thy bountiful mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Before Breakfast Prayer for Christmas Season

The Word was made flesh, alleluia, alleluia!
And dwelt among us, alleluia, alleluia!

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, before the face of the Lord, for He comes. Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers For The Advent Season

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom and power of Your Father and ours. Receive my prayer as part of my service of the Lord who enlists me in God's own work for justice.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a hunger for peace: peace in the world, peace in my home, peace in myself.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a joy responsive to the Father's joy. I seek His will so I can serve with gladness, singing and love.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me the joy and love and peace it is right to bring to the manger of my Lord. Raise in me, too, sober reverence for the God who acted there, hearty gratitude for the life begun there, and spirited resolution to serve the Father and Son. 

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, whose advent I hail. Amen.